


Incipient

by butternutty



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, M/M, Pre-Harry Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-10 22:00:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4409378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butternutty/pseuds/butternutty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rated T for swearing.</p><p>Tom Riddle begins his first year of Hogwarts not liking his transfiguration teacher, Albus Dumbledore, but by the end he's doing his utmost best to gain his acknowledgement and acceptance (and possibly love, but how can you know at that age?).</p><p>There's a real possibility that he'll take it all too far and ruin everything for himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Hogwarts Express

**Author's Note:**

> I've been lowkey shipping these too in a i-need-your-love/you're-not-good-enough relationship for a while now so I thought I'd get it out there.
> 
> I hope you enjoy and if I have made any mistakes please let me know!

**11 Years, 9 Months, 0 Days, 10.5 hours**

I can't really believe I'm doing this. I'm doing what that old fucking man said I should. I wasn't even going to come, yet, here I am, standing awkwardly between platforms 9 and 10 wondering what the fuck I'm supposed to be doing?

 I look around, feelings like everyone’s eyes are on me but they're clearly not. They're all busy getting on their _real_ trains. I bet this one doesn't even exist; maybe the old man was playing a trick on me. It would’ve been a pretty elaborate trick considering that Diagon Alley definitely existed and there were genuine schoolbooks and robes I had to buy. Maybe it was just the way to get there which was a trick.

 I shake my head, this is useless I'm never going to be able to get to this stupid boarding school for people with ma- what? Why am I on the floor? I was just leaning on the wall... and now I'm staring up at a different train platform. I jump up on to my feet and look at the wall I've just come through. _Never thought I'd be saying that._ I slowly put my hand back through and watch as it disappears. This is fucking cool. I always knew that I'm different but this is so much better than I could have ever dreamed.

 Suddenly there’s someone colliding with me. Thankfully I don’t fall over.

 “Watch where you’re going! I’m going to be late!” The person says as they disappear from sight in almost a blur.

 Late? I look at the time it’s 10:56, the train leaves at precisely eleven. I quickly gather my things and get on the first door I can.

 The train began to pull out of the station before I had found a seat. I rushed along the narrow corridors in the hope of finding one quickly. There's two other boys already sat in the emptiest compartment I find, but that doesn't stop me from throwing myself into the closest seat. 

 

**11 Years, 9 Months, 0 Days, 16 hours**

 A sudden whack to my head wakes me up. I'd fallen asleep almost as soon as I sat down.

 The two boys are staring at me. I stare back. One is tall with a mop of brown hair on his head, looking almost as if it could be a wig, _I might try to find out later,_ I thought to myself. The other was at least a foot shorter and had neatly combed black hair. He looked a lot more like my kind of person.

 "Someone said we need to get changed into our robes, we, uh, couldn't think of another way to wake you up" The tall one says.

 I don't bother to say anything. I look to my left where a half eaten box of what looks like jelly beans is lying, some of it’s contents falling out. _So that's what woke me up_. I turn to them and they both seem to look nervous. Then I notice that the box is hovering threateningly towards them.

 Sometimes I'm really good at controlling my magic. Other times, not so much. I was planning on making friends here, before enemies. I grab the box, put it down and mumble a sorry. They seem to relax a little.

 "I'm Marc by the way,” The taller one says, again. He seems to be the talker. I don’t really like talkers.

 "And I'm John," _Ah, the short one, he speaks._

 "Tom" I say with disgust, I dislike a lot how common my name sounds. I’d much rather have an unusual name, but my horrid mother couldn’t even do that.

 

**11 Years, 9 Months, 0 Days, 16.5 hours**

 We all get changed quite quickly, even with tie tying problems. Marc and John (more Marc), explain to me about how there are different houses and each has a different colour tie and finish to their uniform, but that doesn’t happen until you get sorted.

 I’m finding it hard to remember all of the new information I keep receiving, but I’m assured I’ll get the hang of it soon enough. This new life is going to be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

 

**11 Years, 9 Months, 0 Days, 19 Hours**

 The train slows to a stop. We’re here. Marc and John have pure excitement in their faces, me, not so much. I’m scared if anything, but I can’t tell anyone that.

 Soon we’re all clambering off the train into the bitter cold of the north. I shove my hands into my pockets and follow the calls for first years. There’s a small crowd of first years already standing by the old man he met before, Albus Dumbledore.

 I'm a little shocked at how much younger the man looks now I'm seeing him on this train platform rather than in my bedroom. He still has his long beard but it's not so unkempt. He has thin shoulders and is seemingly quite tall. He looks right at me with a frown, which seems like he already doesn’t like me. _I’ll change that,_ I thought.

 The now larger group of first years follows the old man down a narrow path surrounded by trees. When the trees clear a huge lake comes into view. Although it's already dark I can tell that even in daylight the water would look black.

 We all clamber into boats. I go with John and leave Marc to fend for himself. If these were to be my friends they had to have some independence, and I don't really want to hear his voice anymore. As the boats glide along the water a huge castle comes into view. It towers over us showering us in light from all its windows. It has so many turrets and it seems to glow. I'm already getting lost in the beauty of it let alone the thought of navigating it. I hold my breath without even realising it; I can’t believe this is going to be my home for the next 10 months. It's over 100 times better than the orphanage.

 I hadn’t even entered Hogwarts yet and it already felt like home.


	2. The Sorting Ceremony

**11 Years, 9 Months 0 Days, 20 Hours**

John, Marc and I are walking into the Great Hall, which is very aptly named. The ceiling is filled with a cloudy night sky and hanging above each table are candles, floating candles. There are four tables, one for each house.

All eyes are on the group of first years and I suddenly feel very self conscious. At the orphanage I had been the oldest child and even if I hadn't been I would've still had power over the 6 other children. Here I was one of the youngest, and there are at least 200 people older than me. It was going to take a while to get myself into a similar position here.

By the time my thoughts have processed we've walked the length of the Great Hall and are standing in front of a set of steps. On the steps is a long table with what I assume are all the Professors sat at it. Dumbledore, however, is standing on the stairs next to a small stool and holding a really old looking hat. "This here is the sorting hat, it's going to sort you into your house: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor or Slytherin" Dumbledore announces to the group, and seemingly looks directly at me at the last one. He continues, "You'll then take a seat at your house table. Once you are all sorted the feast will start"

Soon he's calling out names and everyone's being sorted into their houses. It isn't long before he calls my name.

"Tom Riddle" He says, I scowl at my name and make my way up the steps and sitting on the stool. I look up at Dumbledore and he looks right back at me with his piercing blue eyes before placing the hat on me.

"Ah, hello" I look around for the source of the voice before quickly realising it's the hat. "It wouldn't be right to put you anywhere but Slytherin, You are the heir after all," The hat says before shouting Slytherin to the Hall. The hat is then swiftly moved off my head before I have a chance to process what it said. Dumbledore gives me a nudge to get me moving to the Slytherin table where I join John and hope that Marc doesn't join us (he inevitably does).

The headmaster, Armando Dippet, then addresses us all and gives a speech about prospering or something. I don't really feel like listening anymore today, I look at the table instead, hunger being my main feeling.

Just as I'm wondering how they bring the food out if the plates are already here, food appears out of nowhere. This place is fucking unbelievable. I've never seen this much food in one place before. I grab as much as I can from around me and shove it onto my plate and then I'm eating like I've never eaten before.

 

**11 Years, 9 Months, 0 Days, 21.5 Hours**

By the end of desert I'm feeling too full and very ill. We're soon being led down too the Slytherin common room by one of the prefects, but I don't get that far.

As soon as I'm round the corner I throw up, all the wonderful food I've just eaten now on the floor.

"Oh that's not good" says a warmly, yet oddly annoying voice from behind me. I turn around to see Dumbledore standing there. He waves his wand and cleans up the mess I've just made. I wipe my mouth with my sleeve. "Are you ok Tom?" He asks and I nod. He looks around with a frown, It's like all he can do is frown when he's around me, "You seem to have lost your group, I'll take you to your common room"

He puts his arm around my waist and pushes me along before letting go again. I want to tell him to leave and let me find it myself but somehow I know I've been defeated. I'd never find anything in Hogwarts without a map.

I'm led down to what I assume must be a dungeon, we pass many skulls in the wall as it gets darker and darker. I'm too engrossed in all the wall decor that I don't notice that Dumbledore has stopped and it take's all my muscle power to stop myself from walking into him. He's stopped by a stone-wall and is scratching his beard.

"What?" I ask, looking up at him.

"I seem to have misplaced the password" He says as he pats down all of his pockets before reaching for a piece of paper. "Ah, here it is, Purity"

Not seconds after he's finished saying the word the stone wall is moving inwards opening a passage way.

"The boys dormitories are straight ahead and to the left." Dumbledore says as he walks off, leaving me to walk into the common room and find my way around.


	3. Potions #1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom has is first Potions lesson, and it ends a little strangely.

**11 Years, 9 Months, 1 Day, 9 Hours**

Horace Slughorn is both the Head of Slytherin and Potions master. He seems to be a professor I’m going to like very much.

The Potions classroom is very dark and it smells of damp. It reminds me of the orphanage, which isn’t a good thing. There are stone arch-shapes all around. In between each of the arches are shelves and shelves of ingredients. I have a sudden urge to look at them all but everyone is already setting up their cauldrons and whatnot when I walk in, so I hastily do the same, I don’t want Slughorn knowing I was late.

A man with thin hair and a large belly strides in; we all assume it to be Slughorn. He doesn’t look to be very old amidst the glasses and grey hair, it’s like he’s trying to hide his true age, a little like Dumbledore. There’s an air of authority on him, yet I can feel that he doesn’t want as much power as he does hold.

He stops when he reaches the front of the class and a wide grin spreads across his face. “Welcome to Potions!” He claps his hands together and has a look around. His gaze focuses on each and every one of us for a few seconds. It’s as if he’s scanning us for something. “This year is going to be tough on all of you, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!”

To me he sounds like he’s talking a load of bullcrap, ‘tough’ and ‘enjoyable’? Impossible. A quick glance around the room seems to show no one else showing my same concerns. What a bunch of morons.

I’ve never liked school, not that I went often; there were always too many people around. Feigning illness was just to easy, especially with as much stupidity as there was in one place. Everyone always had to learn at the same pace, basically a ‘screw you’ to the really really stupid ones or like me, the clever ones. I was clearly always ahead of everyone else and it just got boring, I have no doubt the same will happen here.

The lesson starts. We aren’t going to be making any potions for a week or two; first we’re learning what every ingredient is and what it does. It’s not overly interesting but it’s much less boring than learning about numbers.

By the end of the lesson I have 14 sides of notes about everything from rats tails to dragons blood.

Slughorn calls me back as I’m leaving. I’m surprised; I’d hoped to fly under his radar.

“Tom”

“Sir?”

“You’re a hard worker for a Muggle-born”

“I’m half-blood, Sir”

“Ah” He nods, he doesn’t say anything more for well over a minute. I’m getting quite uncomfortable. The last time I remember having a ‘conversation’ like this was back at the orphanage, when I was in trouble. Maybe I was in trouble now, I thought I’d done quite well in the lesson.

“Well, that’s all Tom.” Slughorn almost demands whilst breaking the silence. It sends me a little shocked, but it’s nice to have it over with. We say our goodbyes and I head off to my next lesson.

 

**11 Years, 9 Months, 1 Day, 15 hours**

I end up dwelling on the ‘conversation’ throughout the day. I don’t have any other ones so it’s not _overly_ strange. I can’t figure out why whether I’m Muggle-born, half-blood or Pureblood makes any difference to him. I understand the hierarchy: Pureblood’s the best, Half-blood’s ok and Muggle-born, well that’s not at all liked really. Professors, however, are supposed to be neutral about all of that… I think.

I honestly don’t know anything anymore. I’m doing well in lessons so far, but the entire culture is new. Why couldn’t I have lived with my wizard parent, most likely my father? Why did he have to be an ass and abandon me in stupid Wool’s Orphanage? At least I was comfortable there I think to myself. Here already feels like home, but none of the people make any sense.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank's for reading!
> 
>  A big thank's to Elly for reading this through and giving it a check before I released it to the world!


End file.
